Hearing postponed for woman charged after altercation with cop neighbor

The court hearing for a 91-year-old Gresham woman charged in connection with a shooting involving her neighbor, an off-duty Chicago police officer, and her husband, who was fatally shot, was postponed Monday afternoon, officials said.

Hazel Jones-Huff was scheduled to appear in court to face two misdemeanor charges of battery and one count of aggravated assault of a police officer. She was charged in April after an argument between she and her husband and the couple who lived next door erupted into gunfire. Nobody else has been charged in the incident.

Jones-Huff's neighbors are a Chicago Police officer and his wife. They have not been identified by authorities, but property records list them as Courtney and Cathy Hill, and neighbors have confirmed those identifications.

Jones-Huff was shot twice during the confrontation, police said. Her husband was fatally shot and the off-duty officer’s wife also suffered gunshot wounds during the incident.

The incident occurred on April 29 in the 8400 block of South Carpenter Street and was the culmination of a longtime feud between the two couples. The couples fussed about litter on each other's property, snow being dumped on each other's sidewalk and debris crossing each other's property lines, their relatives and neighbors said.

At the time of the shooting, police said it started when the off-duty officer heard his wife arguing with Jones-Huff across the fence in their backyards. The officer went to investigate and saw Jones-Huff throwing dirt at his wife and hitting her with a broom, the man told police.

According to police reports, Joe Huff Jr., 86, went into his home, returned with a shotgun and fired, striking the police officer's wife in the arm and hand. The officer then shot Huff and moments later shot Jones-Huff when it appeared she was reaching for her husband’s weapon, according to police.

Huff was pronounced dead at the couple's home.

On Monday afternoon, Jones-Huff's family said she was not able to appear because she is currently hospitalized. One of her bullet wounds became infected, and she needed emergency surgery, the woman's attorney Brunell Donald-Kyei, said in court.

The hearing has been rescheduled for next month.

In court, Donald-Kyei filed motions to have the guns found at the scene examined for fingerprints. She also requested the original, unedited 911 recordings related to the incident and the full autopsy report for Huff, she said.

Her client, Jones-Huff, has said she is innocent, she said.

"We're here for justice," Donald-Kyei said. "We want these nasty and false charges against her dismissed out right and we're prepared for a jury trial."

Jones-Huff "has not been in good health since the incident," Donald-Kyei said. "She was shot herself. She saw her husband killed and she is mourning the loss of him. This has been a horrific experience for her and her health has suffered because of it."

Jones-Huff’s family held a peaceful demonstration at the courthouse Monday, with nearly 40 people at the court building on East 111th Street chanting as they carried signs and wore shirts that read "Justice for Joe."

"My granddad was shot in his own backyard," said Eric Huff. "I'm out here for justice. I don't think anybody should be treated this way. We want to clear our name."

Although police have said Huff was shot after he fired shots and struck Cathy Hill, the man's family disputes that version of events.

Last week, officials released audio recordings of 911 calls of the incident. On the recordings, the officer could be heard asking police to come and settle an argument as the two women yelled at each other. As the officer talks, the sound of shots being fired can be heard, following by women screaming.

According to an autopsy, Huff died of multiple gunshot wounds, with three bullets entering his back. He was also struck on his torso, left buttock, right thigh, right leg and left upper extremity, the Cook County Medical Examiner's report shows.